Outbreak of the Dead
by Sakurai-Nyaa
Summary: Where would you be when it happened? What would you do when it did? Who would you help and who would you leave to die? Rated for gore and language.
1. Prologue

Before I get started, I just want to say that this is based on a weird dream I had a while ago. This is my first real fic so please enjoy!

Oh wait, stupid disclaimer...blah blah blah I don't own Highschool of the Dead or claim to. yada yada yada.

Prologue

After a mediocre day attending morning classes, it was finally time to sit and enjoy the time alone before everyone else got home. It wasn't that he didn't get along with the rest of the household, they just became kind of annoying after a lifetime of bickering over what show to watch or who ate the last of the cookies. Deciding that he was hungry and that eating would be a good place to start relaxing, Zak walked over to the counter, grabbed a banana, and meandered his way toward the living room. He flopped down onto the dark brown couch in front of the tv. As he was beginning to flip through the channels, a word caught his eye: Zombies.

Caught off gaurd, he rapidly flipped over to the previous channel. Thinking another prank had occurred, he listened eagerly to the newsbroadcast. A few months prior, someone had 'edited' the electronic road signs to say "Warning! Zombies Ahead!". The media ate it up and the prankster got to enjoy his minute of fame; however, this did not seem to be a simple prank this time. He grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.

"Another case of extremely violent attacks has been reported in the area, which adds up to 14 cases in the local area alone. Victims of these brutal occurences were bitten savagely and acquired a strange disease currently being investigated by the CDC."

'What the heck?' He thought to himself, since there was no actual talk of zombies. As the thought crossed his mind, he noticed what he assumed to be the word zombies skit along the bottom of the screen. His imagination running wild again, he'd thought it said zombies but they were actually talking about the anniversary of Zumbis', a Brazilian leader, death. Crazy, what his mind would fill in for him.

"Isolated incidents have been reported globally in the larger cities such as Moscow, London, Berlin, Rome, and..." The newscaster continued into the report.

Losing interest, Zak continued to scour the numerous channels available to find something to occupy his time. Seeing that Shaun of the Dead was playing on tv, he decided that'd be as good as anything. About an hour into the movie, a loud blarring siren started coming from the tv and a message began to trek across the "62 screen.

"This is an emergency broadcast system. This is not a test. A gang outbreak has occured and you are asked to remain in your homes until further notice. Lock all windows and doors. Any remaining entrances should be boarded up. This is an emergency broa..."

Suddenly, the phone rang. It startled Zak enough to drop the phone once before answering. He glance at the caller I.D. on his phone. Matt, his friend of six years, was yelling into the other end of the receiver.

"Dude! Do you know what's going on right now!" Matt screamed, with fear in his voice. "There're these videos of people being eaten! Something about that new disease is making people act like zombies!" He said getting more hysterical as he went on.

Matt and Zak had become good friends after meeting at a local soccer match going on. They'd been best friends ever since and along the way they might have played a few tricks on each other but this was just too much...right? He could remember in middle school, when they had tricked Trista into believing there was a werewolf pack living in the nearby woods but the timing of the call made him hasten his breathing. Turning the tv to the news again, he jumped up to his computer to prove his friend wrong. Clicking the link Matt had told him, the video had a young happy child celebrating what seemed to be his eighth birthday. As the child was about to blow out the candles, a woman, who looked to be around her thirties, grabbed his arms. Confused by the sudden getsure he began questioning the woman but just as he had began, the woman tore into his vocal chords before he even had a chance to scream. An uproar burst from the frantic onlookers and even through the high-pitched screechs, a disgusting crunch could be heard; comparable to when getting that last piece of meat between the two chicken bones: Ripping, digging, tearing to get that last juicy piece. The destruction left behind was sickening; layers of skin and flesh hung from the remains of the boys' throat. A sick gleam was left on the jowls of the woman. Blood dripped onto the ground in drops and long strings of blood-enriched saliva. By this point, the filmmaker had fled in fear for his life and presumably posted the video as caution (assuming he'd made it out safely).

'This can't be real. How would someone be able film this and get it online?' He tried to rationalize what he was seeing now and what was being told on the news. There was always some person trying to make the next viral video, except this time it was real and more serious than anyone could have predicted. Realizing the severity of what was going on (and having a slight mental breakdown), Zak ran around his family's home shutting every window, door, curtain, just anything.

"Hey! ZAK! I'm not sure what we're _supposed_ to do but I'm coming over before it gets really bad. -click-" he hung up but his message was lost on an adrenaline-enhanced delirious, Zak.

"Oh God! What the fuck am I supposed to do? Oh God, oh god...oh god." Zak hiccuped to himself. As soon the words left his lips, there was a loud banging coming from the front yard.

So, tell me what ya think (Good or otherwise) I'd like to have at least a review so I know how I'm doing. Any constructive criticism is welcome! Thanks. ^_^


	2. Chapter 1

Hey again everyone! Thank you for the reviews. They were much appreciated. :) School has started for me so expect a new chapter every week or so. Maybe a bit more depending but don't fret cuz it'll be up there eventually.

Disclaimer: Highschool of the Dead does not belong to me but this story does. So xP

Chapter 1

After a hard morning of practice, a shower was definitely in order. Testing the temperature of the water with his hand, he glided into the warm cascade. A few minutes was all that was needed for Ruark to take his shower. He grabbed his towel, dried himself off and made his way toward his bedroom. Putting on a pair of boxers and pants, Ruark turned on the radio and heard the door open.

"Hey, Matt! That you?" he shouted over the music.

"Uuuhhh..." he heard in response.

"Did you grab the mail on your way in?" asked Ruark as he put his shirt on. He began walking toward the door to talk to his roommate and hoping to find his sneakers near the door. What he didn't expect to see was a sickly old man he'd never met before. Pale, ghastly and foul were a few of the words that came to mind but that would be rude.

"Um, are you alright?" questioned a concerned Ruark. "How did you even get in here, anyway?" He got no reply. The man's head suddenly snapped up, reacting to the sound, revealing a horribly decayed face with chunks of flesh missing, causing Ruark to realize just how wrong situation was.

The ever-deteriorating man lunged toward Ruark, trying to reach for his organs. Reflexively he kicked the mans' chest, hoping to knock the wind out of him.

"Uuugghhhh...Aaaarrrgggghhh!" grunted the man as he smacked his head against the wall. Instead of being knocked out or suffering any sort of recoil, the man jerked forward leaving behind a smear of brain matter on the wall. Snarling and snapping furiously, the man continued at his would be meal. Thinking quickly, Ruark picked up the wooden coat rack they had at the entrance and swung at the deranged man.

"Whoa! What's your problem!" he screamed while trying to fend the psychopath off. 'What's wrong with this guy?' he thought. 'How's he able to move with his brain on the wall?'

Having the coat rack squarely in the mans' mouth now, he was able to keep away from the infected fangs that had been hovering over his face a moment ago. The old man was stronger than he had anticipated; Ruark wasn't weak by any measure but this frail looking man was giving him a run for his money. The age old flight-or-fight kicked in and Ruark pulled back his make-shift weapon out of the beasts' gullet. Pushing the large end towards the mans' face, he knocked him over and repeatedly kept smashing the end into the man's skull. A completely sane and relaxed person may have said that once it stopped moving, it was dead and no longer a threat but no such logic could be called upon for Ruark. He kept bashing into the fleshy puddle on his apartment floor.

After a few more minutes of relentlessly smashing the puddle, he finally came out of his instinctual kill-or-be-killed mode. Realizing the danger, he locked his front door and put on his sneakers.

'How dumb would it be if I got Tetanus or something after that?' he half-joked.

Looking for the phone, he went into the kitchen where a sense of nausea washed over him and he upheaved this mornings' breakfast into the trashbin. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and grabbed the phone off the charger. Dialing 9-1-1 he began to pace anxiously in his kitchen.

'I just killed somebody...' he thought. '...but he attacked me. There was nothing I could do...there was...something wrong with him," he thought as he glanced at his victim.

"Beep~beep~beep~click. We currently can not answer to your emergency. Please leave your name, address, and emergency and we..."

"Shit!" he yelled to know one in particular. Becoming more nervous, he peeked out the window expecting someone to have heard him essentially killing a man. The normal day life that should have been going on, was instead a graphic display of human violence. People, moving in the same manner as the man on the floor, were attacking innocent people; Biting, tearing, riping chunks of skin and meat from their victims, looking more like a group of ravenous dogs fighting over the last bone than anything remotely human.

'That could have been me...' he thought letting his gaze drift over to the stain beginning to form from the human mush he'd created. 'There are more people running from those zombies than I would have expected. Wait, is that what this is? Is this an actual zombie outbreak? Wasn't there something on the news recently saying something about a new disease...Well, after countless zombie games and movies there can't be anyone who doesn't know how to kill THEM: Damage the cerebral cortex or decapitation. I'm not gonna die from this!' he tried to reassure himself. 'What...what should I do now?'

Any plans he'd had for the day were unimportant after what he'd just encountered. He dashed down the hallway to his bedroom after he shut the blinds. He opened his door, grabbed the baseball bat he kept behind his door (in case someone broke in), and put on his favorite jacket. With an unusual sense of calm, he pulled out his soccer bag and dumped its' contents on the floor. Snatching the sheet off his bed , he rifled through his drawers for his pocketknife and then folded the sheet and put it into the bag. He walked briskly into the bathroom and basically put every kind of medicine into the bag as well. Ruark walked back in the direction of the kitchen to put a few snacks and water bottles in his bag.

"That'll have to be good for now" he said to himself. Perhaps it was becoming habit now but he seemed to talk to himself a lot these days.

"Bang!" There was a hard knock at the door. "Bang, bang, bang, bang! Hello! Is anyone there! Someone please help!" said a woman on the other side of the door. The sounds of someone screaming brought unneeded attention to the apartment complex. Ruark quickly ran toward t he door but hesitated right as he was about to grab the handle.

"What should I do?" he whispered. "I can open the door, save her and risk my own safety or I could leave her to be eaten mercilessly but keep myself safe in the process..." he reasoned. He'd always hated these parts in the movies because it seemed to be such an obvious choice.

Well, there it is the first chapter. Again, thank you for the reviews and any comments are welcome (good or bad). I like little things like that so feel free to review. It may get the next chapter out that much sooner. Hehe. Okay, see ya again soon! Buh bai! xD


	3. Chapter 2

There might have been some confusion with the chapter titles. I meant that first chapter to be a prologue but I hadn't known how to change the name before I posted it up. Please forgive any confusion I may have caused. :) The chapters will be labeled correctly from here on out.

I took some extra time to revise and edit but here it is. Enjoy~ ^^

Disclaimer: HOTD=not mine This story=mine

Chapter 2

'Crap. This woman could be trying to trick me or something worse...I should just leave her and fend for myself.' He thought trying to make his decision with speed.

"Hello? I know you're in there! I saw you through the blinds. Please, I have children with me. " The woman continued to plead.

'She's got kids with her? They'll only get in the way. Is that supposed to convince me to let her in here? Pfft.' He said laughing at the womans' attempts at negotiation. 'If I wait a few minutes she'll attract more of Them and then it won't be my problem but... what'll They do after they're done with their snack? They'll come after me and I'll be trapped in here.' He waited as the woman still tried to invoke some feelings of sympathy from him. Grabbing his bat with both hands, he put his back against the door and contemplated his decision.

"Please...please..." she said as a faint sniffling could be heard through the barricade. They were definitely starting to notice the group on the second floor apartment building. It would only be a matter of time before there was no escaping.

"..."

Ruark would be able to keep a few people alive long enough to be of use and if he couldn't, well he would deal with it when the time came. "If I let you in will you follow my rules?" he asked the intensely panicked 'family' outside his door.

"Yes! Yes, of course. Please just let us in. There are more of those things out here...Please...just hurry and let us in." With the height and location of the apartment, there was some leeway on how far the sound would travel but the woman was steadily reaching that limit. He swiftly unlatched all the locks and opened the door.

"Oh! Thank you, thank you. " She said as she ushered the two youngsters through the door frame. Because the woman was so concerned with the children she hadn't noticed the proximity of Them but a screaming man, trying to escape from a small gathering of Them, distracted and drew a few of Them toward him. Safety was but an arms' reach away and yet it was still too far to hope for; A pack of Them, however, were making their way haphazardly up the stairs. Ruark pulled her into his home, locked it up and put a chair under the handle. The scene he'd just witnessed may have gotten him a little more anxious than it normally would but that fact was unimportant.

"Just get inside and stay quiet." He tried to warn his newcomers. The boy, who looked around fourteen, half-hugged the young girl in assurance as he glared at Ruark.

"You weren't going to let us in, were you." the boy said, not asked, Ruark. "Why?"

"Shhh..." Ruark said while bringing his index finger to his lips. They sat in suffocating silence for what seemed an eternity simply waiting for the inevitable footsteps that would be passing by. They held their breath. Waited. The stuttering beat could be heard coming ever closer. "Step. Step~slide. Step. Step~slide. Step. Step~slide." it continued getting closer still. In an awkward way it was almost like an off-beat that steadily fused with the pounding in their ears but still they waited in anticipation. The staggered path was making its' way past the door and on down the hallway. A collective breath of relief passed through them.

"Okay. You guys will have to follow me and my rules. What supplies have you got on you?" He demanded.

"You don't even want to know our names?" the boy said defiantly as the girl latched herself to his shirt.

"Now, Now Jake. This nice man saved us. There's no reason to be so rude, right?" said the woman, who now getting a good look at her looked to be around the same age as Ruark.

"But..." the boy, Jake, began to argue but was interrupted by the girl.

"I'm Kerrah." she sheepishly peeped out.

"Fine, I'm Ruark. Hi Kerrah.

The woman spoke up next. "I'm Allie, this is Jake, and she's Kerrah, as you now know." she said with smile on her face. "I live in 2E and I watch these guys sometimes. They live in 2F."

"Okay, awesome." he replied sarcastically. "So, you said you're a doctor but you're what a year maybe two older than me? There's no way you're a doctor. What's the deal? He said with little patience. The situation could change any minute and all of them could die. He needed the facts and needed them now.

The woman, however, didn't seem to realize the predicament they were all in and giggled while saying "I'm in school to be a veterinarian, silly. I've got the same training so I am a doctor...Just not for people."

"Hmmm, okay" Ruark hurriedly replied, not wanting to make the lady any louder or gigglier than she already was. With her care-free attitude, contradicting her demeanor a moment ago, she would steadily become his least favorite but she could control the twerps at least. There was something a bit off about her but he wouldn't let on to any of his unease. He snatched the bags from them, starting with Jake, to assert his position. Jake bristled slightly but said nothing. There were a few toys, clothes, and snacks but no weapons of any sort.

"Where're your weapons?" There wouldn't be any reason to keep them if they couldn't stay alive. As nice as it would be to have a doctor (sort of) nearby, it wouldn't be worth it if they couldn't keep themselves from becoming one of those zombie-like people.

"We hadn't thought about...We didn't think...think, those things would be out there." Allie said as her eyes glazed over slightly as if delving into the recent past but she snapped out of her reverie, when Kerrah began screaming.

"Shhh! You need to be quiet." whispered Ruark angrily. The small child ran into her brothers' arms and cried into his shirt. He rubbed her back gently trying to soothe any fears she had.

"Kerrah, what's wrong?" asked a worried brother. She pointed behind her, toward the kitchen, in response. They followed the direction of her finger with their line of sight and it fell upon the puddle Ruark had created earlier. This elicited a gasp from the two of them but Ruark was uninterested.

He shrugged as he said "He attacked me and I had to defend myself" while conveniently leaving out that he'd brutally murdered that person before knowing the circumstances outside. He walked over to the broken coat rack and handed the largest piece to Allie and another of substantial size to Jake. "It'll be your job to protect her." he said with all seriousness toward the elder brother. After glancing at Kerrah, Ruark walked past the eyesore of muscles, skin, and red liquid, to a bottom cabinet in the kitchen. Finding what he was looking for, he grabbed an extra flashlight and handed it to the girl. She nodded slightly and held the item close. "We can't wait here and hope none of Them come in. We need to get away some where. Where did you park your car?"

"It's over on the opposite side of the building."

"Damn. Okay." He said beginning to form a plan. "We'll have to go around on the walkway, down the fire escape, and run as fast as we can to the car. I'll go first and knock clear a path. Stick closely to me, don't lag behind, and keep quiet. Got it?" he asked his temporary companions. There was a united nod among them. Carefully he opened the door quieter than any thief could have managed. "Let's go" he whispered while scanning the area like a mouse would before he made his mad dash to freedom. They'd have to be quick...If they didn't want to become of the living dead.

There's chapter two. Chapter three is being done now so hopefully I'll have it up in a few days. Please review. Your advice and comments are welcome. Bai bai :3


	4. Chapter 3

I'm so sorry for taking so long with this chapter but I had exams left and right. Good news is the semester is almost over and I can get back to writing and this break has given a new way to tie in some thoughts I was having issues with. Writer's block

really sucks sometimes. Anywho, here's the long awaited chapter. :)

* * *

Chapter 3

Glancing around the surrounding area it was easy to tell that it would be a difficult expedition out to the parking lot but it would be the only way to go (at least with the highest probability of survival). Ruark took a count of how many 'obstacles' there were

on their path; seven in view. He shut the door slightly and murmured lowly behind him.

"There are a few of Them to the left down the walkway and quite a bit of Them to the right. The good news is that the ones to the left are far enough away that if we move quickly they won't be an issue. On the other hand, there are at least two every

few meters on the other side." he paused waiting for a reaction. He was rewarded with a moderate amount of shock from Allie but the children seemed ready for anything. "You think you can keep close enough to me that They won't grab ya?" They

nodded in response and urged him into the den that awaited outside. Mustering his courage again, he exposed the interior of his home and left the door as it was. His small troupe of ducklings followed close behind, careful not to be forgotten. Stealthily,

they managed to evade notice from the first set of Them but the next grouping would be much more difficult. Three of Them staggered around blocking the entire walkway. Ruark pulled back his bat and swung as hard as he could. Managing to immobilize

one of Them; the others started to come after him. Trying to buy time to think, he bashed the remaining zombies' heads in. Although he'd successfully rid himself of the present problem, his bigger concern was that the They now knew he was there. They

staggered and hobbled toward the group acting only on instinct. Similar to jellyfish drifting with the current, the swarm picked up reinforcements along the way. Their chances of surviving were becoming slimmer by the second if they couldn't figure out a

way to get away.

'This would be it huh?' he thought. 'We're gonna get swarmed and eaten alive. Great, just great. I'm gonna die with these stupid kids and their babysitter.' he raged at the situation. 'Fuck it! I'm not goin' out like that. I've just got to think...THINK!' he

sifted through everything he'd ever seen or thought of coming up short. There was a tugging on Ruarks' shirt that startled him but it was only Kerrah trying to get his attention.

"Why don't we push them. Like they do?' she whispered and pointed to a nearby group of survivors that were marching into an ROTC building.

"Huh?" replied Ruark as he looked out to where she was pointing. They 'tapped' Them away with the end of their rifles and just kept marching as if nothing was wrong at all.

"Push them over the railing like they do."

'Why hadn't I thought of that?' he smiled at the young girl.'Haha. This is gonna be fun.' he grinned maniacally from ear to ear. He walked casually toward the approaching trio of assaliants and assisted them into getting to know the pavement. Taken

aback by the enthusiasm radiating off of Ruark, Allie began to lag behind and was grabbed by the arm. One of Them from earlier had caught up earlier than they'd anticipated. Just as she was about to be silenced forever, Kerrah kicked the creature at the

same time Jake came and hit its' other leg knocking it over. Allie looked on in shock but before long was nudged by an excited looking Kerrah. She was starting to have a bit of fun as well. The foursome easily made it to the last apartment door on the

that was left was to go the last few meters around the corner; however, there was something off about the air around the corner. A thick, menacing miasma beckoned to the group trying to lure them into its' fearsome jowls. Their heartbeats

hastened at every step and reverberated within their chests' causing them to hold their breath in concentration.

'Something's not right here...' they thought collectively.

Ruark halted, making the rest stop as well, and clung to the edge of the wall. He leaned his back on the staccato wall and prepared himself for the worst. Peeking around the corner he didn't expect what happened next. He was greeted by a set of

teeth hurdling toward him. Not being a person fond of having his face eaten off (since it was still currently in use and all) Ruark side-stepped, leaving Jake in harms' way. Jake clubbed its' leg with his make-shift weapon causing it to stumble slightly. Using

the opening, Ruark nudged it into the side rails. Much like a fish yanked from the sea, the creature flopped back and forth teetering over the edge and eventually succumbing to gravity and careeening to the wonderful world of concrete down below. Sadly,

danger was still lurking nearby. The movement had disturbed the undead grazing nearby in the parking lot and caused them to stumble toward their next feeding location.

"I can see my car from here. It's that blue sedan over there." she pointed directly in the center of the heavely populated parking lot.

"Of course it is." groaned Ruark. More of Them were trying to escape the confines of the rooms and out in the commotion. There wasn't enough time to wait and be choosy. Adrenaline washing through him, he was starrting to have fun. It was like a

game. Get nicked, scratched, or bit and you lose. Beat the shit out of the beasts lunging toward and you get a chance at the highscore and get to play again. No pressure right?

"There's the fire escape." Jake pointed out.

"Yeah..." grunted Ruark while increasing his batting average near the staircase. Seeing as how Allie wasn't very busy, she went to check the stability and safety. It was slightly rusty but it seemed to be able to handle the load. Jake followed behind

Allie, with Kerrah close behind him. Gleefully, Ruark continued to swat but was interrupted when a load explosion, in the direction of the building the group they'd seen earlier went into, shook him off his feet. Startled, he staggered back up and noticed

that the blast had created a path for them to follow. It seemed luck had been on their side today (well somewhat). He lept down down the stairs and dragged his companions with him to the bottom, looking much like a life size game of snake.

"Why are you pulling us? I thought we were checking the area before we just jump in to get ourselves killed!" demanded Allie with indignation in her voice.

"That explosion knocked Them down too soooo if we run" he said sarcastically. " we might actually make it to that damn car of yours, that just so happens to be right in the middle of that goddamned nest of flesh-eating things."

Kerrah's adrenaline-enhanced sprinting was faster than Jake was used to seeing. She'd been the fastest in the school but this was way faster than normal. She was actually starting to pull him instead of the other way around. Ruark led the way still,

knocking the feet out from under Their feet before They could stand up properly as he helped to keep the path open. Bodies were everywhere. Surrounding them. The undead grasping at their feet as they scurried by. There was only a few feet before they

would make it to the car when something grabbed Jake's leg and dragged him away screaming for help.

'If only I'd been faster maybe it wouldn't have gotten me...maybe...it would've got her instead...' He thought as he watched his sister slowly fade out of sight...

* * *

Okay, so there it is. I was thinking about some things that are gonna happen later and I was left with a bit of a problem. There are a few oppurtunities to where I can through in some lemons but I don't know How you guys feel about it. So I'll leave it u

to you guys. When you review just let me know. Okay so there you have it review and tell me your thoughts. Thank ya. Look forward to the next chapter. ^^

Rai-chan~


End file.
